Keeping la chasse off your land

IT can come as a bit of a shock to see a hunter crossing your property with a gun slung over a shoulder and a pack of dogs in tow.

But there is a way to ensure your land is not used by la chasse and here environmentalist Chris Luck outlines the basic steps.

Many people think they can keep la chasse away by putting up a few signs in French saying ‘No Hunting’ or just tell people who are hunting to leave their land, unfortunately this isn’t the case.

On the other hand, an equally large group of people think that hunters have an absolute right to hunt on their land and nothing can be done to prevent it, this is also not true. The answer, as is often the case, lies somewhere in the middle.

In a nutshell, the so called Law Verdeille of 1964 gave rights to local hunters to form associations, ACCA or ACA, in most of the French mainland territory; this gave them the communal rights to the hunting within their locality, basically allowing them to go where ever they wished.

On April 29, 1999 the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled against this in a case that was contested by the French state, this opened the door for anyone to remove their land from la chasse by way of a relatively simple legal procedure.

To take your land out of la chasse you will need to complete a form. You will require the date of creation of your local ACCA and the name and address of its President; in theory your Mairie should supply this information, but they can be unhelpful, in which case you have to get it from the Prefecture.

You will need plans showing your plots with their numbers and their relationship to the immediate surroundings. You will need copies of the purchase (title deeds) of your property, which proves ownership.

As the contract that an ACCA or ACA has with a commune has a duration of five years, anyone using this procedure will not have their request finalised until the next five yearly renewal for their local association, based on five yearly periods from the date of its creation.

All of this once completed must be lodged with your Prefecture, making absolutely sure that you get an Accuse de Reception a minimum of six months before the next five yearly ‘birthday’ for your ACCA.

This can however be objected to and refused, although this is unlikely, if this happens it can be appealed to the departmental tribunal, who will almost certainly approve it.

To make life easier and have someone to overcome any of these obstacles, I would always recommend using ASPAS, an association that will not only deal with obstructions in getting it done in the first place but will also provide legal assistance if there are any infractions once you have your Chasse Interdite in place.

Chris Luck has created the PlantePassion website that provides a wide range of information about wildlife, conservation and the environment in France.